Mycroft Holmes Loves
by Hummingbird1759
Summary: Drabbles about things that Mycroft Holmes loves. Prompts are accepted! Rating may go up in later chapters. Mycroft loves Anthea.
1. Cake

_A/N: This story was inspired by HiMe'iTSu's series "Mycroft Holmes Hates." These chapters will be 221 words or less and they are not sequential nor set in the same universe, so feel free to skip around. Prompts are accepted! Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, Moffat/Gatiss and Conan Doyle do._

* * *

**Cake**

Mycroft sneaked into the office kitchen. It was late, much later than he'd realized when his stomach started growling. Luckily, he had some leftover takeaway squirreled away in here. He was taken aback by what he saw in the refrigerator. Standing proudly amongst the usual selection of plastic and cardboard containers was a huge chocolate cake with chocolate icing.

The diplomat smiled. He thought office parties were a foolish tradition, and it appears his colleagues decided to throw one without him. The joke was on them, he decided; he still got to have his cake.

A fine cake it was, too. The first bite sent his tastebuds to Nirvana. _(Cake is as close as one can get to heaven.)_ Mycroft wolfed it down, not caring a bit that he looked like a small child at a birthday party. There would probably be indignation in the morning when the others realized that half the remaining cake was missing. He supposed it served them right; they should have known better than to leave him alone with a cake.


	2. Umbrella

**Umbrella**

Mycroft is always impeccably dressed. Tailored suit, waistcoat, perfectly coordinated tie, and shoes so well-shined that his assistant can glance down at her boss' feet and see whether her mascara is smudged (which, of course, it never is). And then there's the umbrella: always at his side, always ready to protect those expensive suits from the slightest hint of rain.

Mycroft learned how to dress from his mother. Mrs. Holmes believed that if one had the proper outfit, the rest of the day would fall into place and that there was never any excuse for looking less than one's best. Both of her sons take after her in this regard.

However, it was his father who taught Mycroft the importance of an umbrella. Mr. Holmes was a man who believed in being prepared for every contingency, a man who thought that one shouldn't merely have a Plan B; one also needed Plans C through Z. Mr. Holmes always had an umbrella, a spare handkerchief, and an extra pen just in case. Mycroft recalls numerous occasions where at least one of these items came in handy, and now he carries an umbrella and other necessities wherever he goes.

Mycroft loves his umbrella because it's just one of the many ways in which he's prepared.


	3. Brandy

_A/N: In Britain, "jelly" refers to Jell-O. Brandy lovers, I apologize if I got any details wrong. I don't care for brandy, so I used the South African Brandy Foundation's website to get the basics of brandy tasting._

* * *

Anthea knocked lightly before entering Mycroft's office.

"Sir? This package just arrived for you from the South African ambassador."

"Thank you, I shall open it now. Henrik's gifts tend to be… perishable." Mycroft wrinkled his nose, recalling Henrik's well-intentioned but foolhardy attempt to send jelly through the post.

The contents of the box took Mycroft's breath away, and not because it was a puddle of red goo. Rather, Henrik had chosen what might be the perfect gift for Mycroft Holmes: a bottle of South African brandy. Unintentionally, he'd also given Anthea the perfect gift: the opportunity to see her boss look like a child on Christmas morning.

Later that night, Mycroft opened the bottle and poured himself a snifter. Viewing the brandy against a white paper, he could tell from the deep mahogany colour that it had been long aged. The smell was even better: apple, citrus, toast, and even a hint of chocolate. The taste was full-bodied and smooth and the flavours waltzed on his tongue.

He decided that he would give Henrik anything he wanted for the next fifty years if he kept providing this brandy. Mycroft Holmes loved brandy, and this was the best he'd ever had.


	4. Socks

**Socks**

Most people wouldn't suspect it, but Mycroft has cold feet. Not metaphorical cold feet; he's never struggled with making a decision or committing to a promise. His feet are literally always cold. Sometimes when Sherlock was small, he'd climb into bed with Mycroft, and if Mycroft wanted him out, all he had to do was put his cold feet on Sherlock.

Mycroft is always properly dressed from head to toe, and would never dream of wearing heavy wool socks with his three-piece suits. But on a winter night, when he's home alone, he likes nothing more than changing out of his lightweight trouser socks and into heavy wool socks. Mycroft believes that there are few things in life better than stretching out by the hearth wearing wool socks, with one's feet warmed by the blaze.

Mycroft Holmes loves his socks.


	5. Sherlock

**Sherlock**

Mycroft is at the Diogenes Club when his phone vibrates. It's Sherlock again. He tells himself for the umpteenth time that _this_ time he'll ignore Sherlock, that he needs his peace and quiet and he doesn't have to jump every time Sherlock texts.

Wrong.

Mycroft can only ignore his baby brother's texts for so long. He knows Sherlock is safe these days, or at least safer than when he was homeless, when Mycroft went to bed every night wondering if he'd be called to attend to Sherlock at the police station, or the hospital, or the morgue. Still, a man doesn't forget the experience of fearing for the life of his only sibling, especially if he's raised said sibling since he himself was a teenager.

If Mycroft were to tell you why he never ignores Sherlock, he'd say things like "duty" and "obligation." He wouldn't mention that with their parents often absent, Sherlock was the one person he could count on during childhood, or that as infuriating as Sherlock's always been, he brings much-needed light to Mycroft's life.

He definitely wouldn't tell you that he has loved Sherlock from the moment Mummy first placed him in his arms, and he will love him until his last breath.


	6. DVD

Mycroft gets most of his mail at work – he's there more than anywhere else, after all – but he had this package delivered to his home. Even in a job as secretive as his, there are some things one must keep from one's coworkers. He paid for the contents out of one of his untraceable bank accounts and ensured that the servants all had the night off when it arrived. Absolutely no one but him must see it.

Inside the package was a small plastic box, and inside the box, a DVD. A flicker of guilt passed as he inserted the DVD into its tray. _(This is shameful! These boy are young enough to be my sons!) _

_(But then, I suppose we're all allowed our little vices…)_ Mycroft inhaled slightly when he pressed play, and as the television roared to life, the corners of his mouth turned up. Five young men appeared on the screen and began singing.

_"When you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell_

_You don't know_

_Oh, oh_

_You don't know you're beautiful"_

Mycroft broke into a grin. If he were capable of carrying a tune, he might have sung along.

If you tell anyone that Mycroft Holmes loves One Direction, you'll never be heard from again.

* * *

_A/N: Thank you to janthelibrarian for suggesting this! Lyrics are from "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction._


	7. Jaguar

_A/N: Thank you to Ursa Dextra for suggesting this! The Jaguar E-Type is a 2-seat sports car. Wikipedia has some good pictures if you're interested._

* * *

Nineteen-year-old Mycroft Holmes is speeding through the countryside in his Jaguar E-Type convertible. He's skidding on the turns and if he were to look up, the stars would be a mere blur. Normally, he'd never drive this fast, but he's under the influence of the most powerful force in the universe: a teenage boy's hormones. Ian, the boy in the passenger seat, is handsome and seems to fancy Mycroft just as much as Mycroft fancies him.

Ian urges him to really push the car and see what it can do. Mycroft knows he shouldn't, but this boy's deep blue eyes tend to make him forget about things like prudence. _(God, he's gorgeous. Maybe later we can park somewhere and just look up at the stars and…)_

Mycroft's fantasy is interrupted when he misses a turn and crashes the car into a fence. Miraculously, neither he nor Ian is hurt. Mycroft hops out to inspect the damage and begins cursing up a storm.

"Father is going to kill me!"

"What if we just walk away?" Ian suggests. "Nobody saw us wreck the car. Let's tell your father it was stolen and the thief wrecked it."

Mycroft decides that it's a long shot, but it'll have to work. As they walk back to town, he grumbles under his breath. He loves that car.


	8. Anthea

Twenty thousand feet above the Swiss Alps, Mycroft gazes out the window and tries to forget that he has a headache. His head feels like it's been caught in a vise and stuffed full of cotton. This headache must be dealt with immediately before it turns into full-on airsickness.

Mycroft tries applying pressure to his wrists and distracting himself, but to no avail. He has airsickness medicine in his briefcase, but he doesn't dare take it. It causes drowsiness and he must be at the top of his game for this meeting.

The plane hits a pocket of turbulence and Mycroft's stomach lurches. _(If there is a merciful God in the heavens, He shall crash this plane and spare me the indignity of vomiting in front of the entire diplomatic contingent.)_ He notices the airsickness bag and wonders if there's a subtle way for him to get it to the lavatory. Just as the nausea becomes intolerable, Anthea appears.

"Your drink, sir," she says, and hands Mycroft a cup of ginger ale.

"Thank you," he says, and only Anthea notices the relief in his eyes. _(She's the only person who's ever noticed my airsickness, the only person discreet enough not to tell anyone, and the only person who knows exactly how to cure it.)_ At this moment, Mycroft Holmes loves Anthea.

* * *

_A/N: Applying pressure to the inside of the wrists is one of many techniques that is supposed to work for motion sickness. Didn't work for me, but some people swear by it._


End file.
